Cogon

There are still many places I haven’t been to and I thought I’ve already seen them all. Barangay Cogon is one such place. It’s a small unpretentious side street along the main highway and is not a place one would notice, let alone venture without a purpose. My visit was for a community service in this part of Tacloban. I just had to return the following day.

A pedicab driver sits under the shade while he waits for his turn at the queue. Day in and day out, rain or shine, 12 hour days, 7 days a week of ferrying people up and down the street.

I caught this boy playing with a rooster.

Using the more common word for rooster in that sentence could get me in trouble for using ‘fowl’ language.

This is the first time I’ve seen a chicken being given a bath to get rid of its ‘fowl’ smell. Or is the man giving it a swimming lesson?

(btw, that is the water pump donated by the Rotary Club of Bagumbayan Manila through a joint project with the Rotary Club of Tacloban. It was installed in a densely populated area providing water to many households and one chicken.)

Basketball is still the most popular sport in the Philippines. There are no high flying dunk shots, only flying elbows and lots of them.

It ain’t greener on the other side of the fence, only bigger and better toys.

This is tiring work. Patching tires is a livelihood for many locals. Children at a very young age learn this trade from their parents. As with all businesses, there are good days and then there are days when there is barely enough.

The tools of the trade. Nothing fancy, just an old discarded engine piston, a rag, kerosene, a rubber patch to cover the puncture, an improvised clamp and a lot of hard work.

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Tags: b/w, basketball, bike, chicken, driver, pedicab, photography, rooster, tacloban, tire, vulcanizing

• September 2, 2012
• streets of Tacloban
• 28 Comments